Wednesday, August 24, 2011

The Bull, The Bear, & The APS Staff Boating!

Yesterday evening, the APS Staff had the chance to take an evening sail out on the Bull and Bear Sandbaggers currently based out of Annapolis at the National Sailing Hall of Fame dock. These boats are replicas of New York Harbor cargo (mostly oysters as we understand it) boats built in the 1860s. These boats can build up a fair amount of speed thanks to long bowsprits and relatively large sail area - and back in the day, if the wind is kind and the sailing good, the first boat back to market had the advantage of naming its price for the day.

Is that our Product Manager James McKenna holding the main out? It is! The sunset was beautiful, but we could have used a little more breeze... Friends and family of the staff were on board both boats to give the same ballast 40 lb sandbags once would have.

Torrey and Bryan from fulfillment were enjoying the light breeze and fresh air, too, as staffers took turns at the tiller. The rudders and centerboards were huge, and it took some time (and a little muscle) to bring the boat around when tacking and jibing.

All in all, everyone had a lot of fun. Warren from APS Customer Service and APS Spinsheet Chesapeake Bay Racer Ashley Love conspired to race the Bull against the Bear. That didn't quite happen this time around, but we can always hope for another opportunity.

A Big THANK YOU! goes out to the Bull and Bear skippers, first mates, and tender drivers working with the Friends of Bull and Bear Sandbaggers. Let's just say, a staff outing was long overdue! If you'd like to read more about the Bull and the Bear, click here. The boats travel every year so they may be coming to a town near you...

The photographs of the Bull and the Bear are courtesy of the National Sailing Hall of Fame - NSHOF.org.

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